Burger with Manchego, Serrano ham and smoky pepper aioli

 

It's almost time for the Midtown Farmers Market to reopen for the season, so I'm cooking up the last lingering bits from last fall's stock-up. Down to my last package of good ground beef from Hilltop.

Smashed burger with Manchego, Serrano ham and piquillo-smoked paprika aioli

Adapted from Bobby Flay's "Grill It!"

Ingredients

½ cup mayonnaise

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 jarred piquillo peppers

2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1½ pounds ground beef

Canola oil

4 hamburger buns

8 slices Manchego cheese

8 thin slices Serrano ham

Method

Combine mayonnaise, garlic, peppers, paprika and salt in a food processor. Transfer puree to a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Form ground beef into 4 patties. Season with salt and pepper. Brush with canola oil. Grill over hot coals until you’ve nearly reached desired doneness.

Spread aioli on insides of hamburger buns. Place a slice of cheese on both top and bottom, then ham. Top bottom with a burger, then top with top half of bun. Press down slightly on the top. Brush lightly with more oil. Place back on the grill top-side down and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly browned. Flip over and cook for another minute or until cheese has melted. Or do what we did, which is chicken out and do this last step in a 350-degree oven where there was less danger of flipping them to pieces on the grill; no grill marks but a lot less potential for disaster.

Rating: I had considered just putting Manchego and ham on the top, not the bottom, but I’m glad I didn’t, because the combination of melty Manchego with the smoky pepper aioli was the best part. As usual with Bobby Flay recipes, it’s the side or sauce that steals the show from the meat. The smoked paprika was key in the aioli, so I wouldn’t substitute regular sweet paprika unless that’s all you can find. The aioli is an easy fix that could make a great addition to any sandwich. Dave's take: This would make a good brewer's burger. Perhaps we've been spending too much time in brew pubs.